CES 2011: Harbinger of hope

摘要

If this year's Consumer Electronics Show is a reliable indicator, the global economy may be on an upswing. By all accounts a resounding success, 2011's event was a vast improvement over the past two years, especially over the nadir that was CES 2009. This year's show set new records, with more than 2700 technology companies from across the globe, and more than 140,000 attendees, approximately 25% of them from outside the US, according to figures released by the Consumer Electronics Association on January the 9th. The mood was buoyant - happy, even - and showgoers were clearly intent on doing business. While mainstream media couldn't get enough of the latest 3D gadgetry - there's hope for a workable version that doesn't require special glasses nor induce epileptic seizures -the real news was tablet computers, more than 80 of which debuted in Las Vegas. These exceedingly clever devices will soon be ubiquitous - and disposable, as many mobile phones already are.